Connecticut western news., 1887-06-22
BETWEEN TWO STOOLS.

Up at the hall there was a general commotion. Mir. Westley, the owner of Wcstley Grange, had come pretty nearly to the end of his tethcr. He had but lately succeeded to the estate, and it had come to him very heavily encountered; and now, with reduced rents, irrcgularly p i'd, he found it impossible to go on. He had, therefore, determine to spend couple of years on the continent, during which time he hoped that the agricu!- tural depression would pass away.
 The establishment at tho hall was not large one by any means for country bachelor squire, but it was larger than he could afford to keep up under exist ing circumstances. So one evening he called his servants together and told them how matters were with him, bidding them seek other situations at once.
 His personal servant, Ben Biggins, was not included in the general dismiss sal, but was destined to accompany his master abroad. Ben was ono of those men not unflcquently met with in this country-a man who could turn his hand to most things, though he might be no good at any. The position he held at Westley Grange was cross be- tween valet and gamekecpcr, but at odd times he had been known to cook his masters dinner and make his mas ter's bed. This was during grou;ing expedition on the Welsh hills, but the rumor of it hal travelled to Westley. B,n was in high spirits when he was tod of the journey in store for him.
 'Tll teach these foreigners thing or two," he said to the cook one night; to which she replied: ''You be very care full, Mr. Ben, that they don't teach you more than you teach them"
 "Them!' he cried; "them teach me. Why, I could wallop the lot of lem, if l wanted to-"
 "Then you mind you don't want to, /" she answered.
 "Wby, you knows very well," con- tinued Ben, ''that l set your watch a-going after James, tho matchmaker, had it month, and couldn't make nothing of it; and stopped the blue bedroom chimbly smoking, when the smoke had nearly druv you all out ot the place."
 ''Rubbishl" she said. 'Thc watch only wanted winding; and as for the chimbly, it smoked because there was bag of straw in it. You needn't crow over them things, young man."
 Yes, there was little i'll feeling or the part of the cook toward Ben. She had claimed him for her own originally, but Ben had fought shy; and lattcrly ht had been paying good deal of atten- tion 10 Anna, the houscmaid at tho rectory. Either fault alone, on Ben. part, would have made the cook some what aggrieved toward him, but tn, two combined were more than culinar, flesh and blood could stand. Thus i happened that her tongue had an acces of acerbity when moving at Ben.
 Down at the rectory the commotior was nearly as general. The servants dis oussed the situation from morning iii night, and Anna received many unp.cas ant jeers.
 ''Stick to your' said the coachman ''not ke. Them sort never stick to noth ing but their baccy. When you say good by to Ben, you says good-by for ever, my lass"
 ''He can please himsclf," she said; bu if he thinks 1 shall die brokcn-hcartct because he takes on with some forcig girl, he's very much mistook."
 'Thal's always the way With yo women-folk. You talks as big as big and when it comes to, you doubles u to nothing. There was that gal O ST mond's-her as kept company with tha keeper fellow. Look how her brazene it out when they found he'd left wifi in Wales, and her died of consumptio in less than a year.
 '.But Ben and mes different" sai Anna, "If he's not in earnest, no mol aren't l." Which was perhaps consola tory.
 The time slipped rapidly by, and wanted but day till Ben and his ma